Steven would like a functioning battery for his Lenovo Ideapad. The computer is under warranty: he bought it less than three months ago. He writes that every time he calls their customer service center for a replacement battery, they send the wrong one. After the second time, this is becoming sort of tiresome. [More]

Michael purchased a new laptop from Lenovo this past summer. This laptop came with the promise that he would receive a free copy of Windows 7 as soon as the new operating system was released. Michael writes that (as other customers of various computer vendors have discovered) the free OS was not free–it cost over $30. And four months after the retail release date of Windows 7, Michael still hasn’t received his disc. [More]

We hear that Lenovo, heirs to the Thinkpad line of laptops, makes some very nice computers. In the last few months, though, more and more Consumerist readers are having problems getting the company to complete an exchange in which money is exchanged for a computer. E.J.’s purchase is one such failed exchange, and his father’s Christmas laptop is now lurking in a UPS facility, a few hundred miles away from where it was supposed to be delivered. [More]

Patrick was frustrated. He explains that he was stuck with a defective and non-functional Lenovo laptop that was only a few months old. Before pursuing a chargeback, he decided to send a letter to the company’s president and COO, Rory P. Read. His message was detailed but straightforward, and a great example of one of the finest weapons in the Consumerist toolkit, the executive e-mail carpet bomb. Read and learn. [More]

Dan and his roommate had a crazy plan. They would use Dan’s credit card to purchase a laptop computer from Lenovo. The roommate would write Dan a check for the total amount the computer cost. Lenovo would ship a working computer to the roommate, thus completing a straightforward exchange of currency and consumer goods. Unfortunately, life is not that simple in the Land of Lenovo.

Not many people really want a computer with Windows Vista. The sensible thing for customers who need a computer—but not right away—to do is wait until the launch of Windows 7 and then buy a computer with the much-awaited OS pre-installed. Vendors realize this, and are trying to get Vista-laden machines off their shelves with the promise of a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it comes out. A free upgrade that is not, in fact, free.

Bart wrote to us about a strange experience he had after purchasing a new Thinkpad from Lenovo. He had a perfectly smooth transaction, until months later when he received a letter from a collection agency. The agency was demanding payment for the laptop he had already paid for. Or so he thought.

The US Postal Service lost five new Lenovo laptops that Pedro’s friend bought and shipped to him. Pedro expected that this might happen, so he wisely insured the package for $3,000. After stalling for about two months, USPS finally agreed to pay his insurance claim, but reduced the payment, claiming his merchandise was only worth $74.

This terrible, terrible commercial for Lenovo’s new laptop is clearly meant to go viral a la Songsmith, but someone forgot that it should be amusing and not just cringe-inducing. You got your viral on, Lenovo, but now your new slogan is “That’s What She Said.” [YouTube via Engadget]

Inside, email addresses, phone numbers, and addresses for over 100 different companies to inject your customer service complaints into their corporate executive offices, and get it well on the way to success.

When the Lenovo laptop Rick ordered for his college-bound daughter was super-duper delayed in arriving and he hadn’t heard anything from the company, he did the opposite of an EECB (executive email carpet bomb). Instead of blasting his complaint to every single executive he could find, he wrote a well-crafted letter laser-targeted at a single individual, the SVP of operations. The result? An email from the Chief of Staff in the CEO’s office. His order was expedited, and, in the meantime, they got a $5000 “Reserve Edition” leather-wrapped laptop as a loaner. Here’s his letter that got him the fix:

Dubner over at Freakonomics was distraught at the idea of sending his beloved laptop away to IBM for warranty repair, but since neither Geek Squad nor any of the IBM recommended vendors were up to the task, he reluctantly agreed.

The CPSC has announced the recall of 100,000 ThinkPad extended life batteries. “If the battery in the laptop is struck forcefully on the corner, such as from a direct fall to the ground, the battery pack can overheat and pose a fire hazard to users. This is not an internal battery cell defect.” Lenovo has received 4 reports of batteries overheating and damaging the notebook. There have been no injuries except “in one case, minor eye irritation to one consumer.”